Hand operated seal press

ABSTRACT

A hand operated seal press of the type which has means for engaging a seal shackle and drawing it tightly around an article to be protected, such as the neck of a coin bag, and means for crimping or deforming a plastic or metallic retaining member onto the shackle to retain the shackle in tight assembly around the bag, in which means is provided, timed to be activated after the retaining member is crimped, to cut off that excess shackle portion near the retaining member, combined with ratchet means to insure that once the handle of the press is depressed to any appreciable extent, the cycle must be completed to accomplish the crimping of the seal and activate the cut-off device before the handle can be released to its original position.

United States Patent [1 1 Lundberg et al. Oct. 14, 1975 [54] HAND OPERATED SEAL PRESS 2,764,861 10/1956 Wenk l40/93.4 2,854,035 9 1958 M be 140 93.4 [75] Inventors: George A. Lundberg, Pompton o rg in Carl Engesser Nutley both Primary ExaminerLowell A. Larson 0 Attorney, Agenl, 0r FirmRobert E. Ross [73] Assignee: E. J. Brooks Company, Newark,

NJ. [57] ABSTRACT [22] Filed Oct 5 1973 A hand operated seal press of the type which has means for engaging a seal shackle and drawing it [21] Appl. No.: 403,969 tightly around an article to be protected, such as the neck of a coin bag, and means for crimping or deform- 52 US. Cl 140 93.4; 140 123.6 ing a Plastic or metallic retaining member the Int Cl 2 41 9/02 shackle to retain the shackle in tight assembly around [58] i 5: 4 123.6 the bag, in which means is provided, timed to be activated after the retaining member is crimped, to cut off [56] References Cited that excess shackle portion near the retaining mem- U D ST T S TENTS ber, combined with ratchet means to insure that once the handle of the press is depressed to any appreciable Bl'OOkS extent the cycle must be completed to accomplish the 1,182,602 5/1916 Tuohy r 140/93-4 crimping of the seal and activate the cut-off device beggg g fore the handle can be released to its original position. 2,267,532 12/1941 Moberg 140/93.4 4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures US. Patent Oct.1 4,1975 Sheet20f2 3,911,970

HAND OPERATED SEAL PRESS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A seal assembly of the type shown in US Pat. 3,167,340 comprises a deformable seal body and a shackle having one end secured to the seal body. In use, the shackle encircles an article to be protected such as the neck of a coin bag and the free end of the shackle is inserted into a suitable aperture in the seal body and the shackle drawn as tightly as possible around the body. The seal is then deformed by a suitable tool so that the shackle is non-removable from the seal body, and the seal may thereafter be removed from the coin bag only by cutting the shackle.

Combination tools of various types have been provided for tightening the seal around the bag, and for thereafter crimping the seal body to retain the shackle in the tightened condition. One of the difficulties with tools known heretofor has been the fact that it is possible for an operator of the tool to impart only a partial crimp to the seal, making it possible to thereafter disengage the shackle from the seal body, remove part of the contents of the bag, reinsert the shackle into the body, and re-crimp the body to securely retain the seal. The bag then does appear to have been tampered with. Such procedure is facilitated if the excess length of shackle is not cut off close to the seal body, but is cut at some distance therefrom thus allowing enough shackle length remaining to extend around the coin bag neck which, when the seal is being replaced, will have a slightly larger diameter than it had when the shackle was tightened mechanically when the seal was originally assembled.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention provides a hand operated seal press for use with a seal of the type described above, in which means is provided for automatically cutting the shackle close to the seal body after the seal is deformed, and means is provided for insuring that once the operation of the press is started it must go through a complete cycle of operation, that is, the deforming operation and the cutting operation, before the handle will be released to return to its original position.

Partial crimping of the seal, and crimping without the activation of the cutter mechanism is therefore prevented.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of a seal press embodying the features of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front plan view of the seal press of FIG. 1, with a seal and shackle in position for tightening of the shackle around the neck of a coin bag and for thereafter crimping the seal.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, in which the shackle tightening handle has been depressed to draw the shackle tightly around the neck of the bag, and the main operating lever of the press has been depressed to crimp the seal and to activate the shackle cut-off mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a view in side elevation of the seal in the condition of FIG. 3, with the bag and seal omitted for clarity.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are an enlargement of the ratchet mechanism which prevents the operating lever from being released until it has been operated to the end of its stroke.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawing, there is illustrated a seal press 10, which is designed for applying a seal 12 around an article to be protected, such as a coin bag 14.

The seal 12 to be used with the press may be of the type illustrated in US. Pat. No. 3,167,340 issued Jan. 26, 1965 and comprises a seal body 16 which may be formed of metal or plastic, and a shackle 18 having one end non-removably secured to the seal body. The seal body has an aperture 24 to receive the free end 22 of the shackle. The shackle has considerable excess length to enable it, when the seal body is in position in the machine, to encircle the neck of the bag 14 and to allow the free end 22 to be inserted through the seal body aperture 24 into the machine mechanism to be hereinafter described.

The press 10 comprises an elongated frame 28 having a pair of serrated jaws 30 and 32 at the forward end thereof to receive the seal body. The upper jaw is movable toward and away from the lower jaw 30 to crimp the seal body by means of an operating lever 34 pivoted to the frame at 36.

Secured to the side of the frame 28 is a shackle tightening mechanism, comprising a member 38 pivoted to the frame at 40 and carrying a fixed lower shackle gripping jaw 42 and an upper movable jaw 44 pivoted on member 38 at 46 and carrying a handle 48.

A cutter mechanism 56 is secured to the side of the frame and comprises a movable cutter member 50 and a cutter block 52. The cutter, pivoted to the frame at 54, is provided with cutter blade 56 on the forward end thereof. The blade 56 is moved downwardly and upwardly with downward and upward motion of the operating lever 34 by means of a cam follower 58 disposed in a suitable shaped slot 60.

The cutter block is provided with a horizontal passage 62 to receive the free end of the shackle 18, and a vertical passage 64 to receive the cutter blade 56 on the downward stroke of the operating handle.

The slot 60 is so shaped that the blade moves across the horizontal passage 62 to cut the shackle only after the jaws 30 and 32 have completed the required deformation of the seal body, since cutting of the shackle will release the holding force applied by the shackles tightening mechanism.

To insure that once the operating handle is even partially depressed, it must continue through the entire operating cycle before it can return to its original position, a rod 66 is secured to the handle and extends into a guide housing 68 which is pivoted at 70 to the remote end of the frame. The rod 66 is provided on its underside with ratchet teeth 72, which are engaged by a detent 74 when the operating lever 34 is depressed, moving the rod 66 into the housing. The detent 74, pivoted at 76, prevents retraction of the rod when the rod has moved into the housing far enough for the first of the teeth 72 to engage a detent. When the operating handle 34 has been depressed far enough to complete the crimping of the seal body and to activate the cut-off mechanism, a recess 78 in the bottom of the rod 66 passes over the detent, allowing the detent to return momentarily to the upright position (see FIG. 5) so that the rod can thereafter move in the opposite direction to allow the operating handle to move back to its original position.

In operation of the press, the seal shackle is looped around the neck of the bag 14, and inserted through the aperture 24 in the seal body. The seal body is then placed between the jaws 30 and 32, with the free end of the shackle passing through the horizontal passage 62 and between the shackle gripping jaws 42 and 44.

The handle 48 of the shackle gripping mechanism is then moved downwardly, causing the jaws 42 and 44 to grip the shackle and causing movement of the support member 38 about pivot 40 to pull the shackle through the seal body and tighten it around the bag.

Since certain obvious changes may be made in the illustrated device without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained herein be interpreted in an illustrative and not a limiting sense. While maintaining tension on the shackle, the operating handle 34 is then depressed, causing the jaws 30 and 32 to deform the seal body to prevent any further movement of the shackle through the seal body. Near the end of seal body deformation, the knife blade 56 passes across the horizontal passage 62 cutting off the excess length of shackle, so that the bag and seal assembly can be disengaged from the machine.

Once the jaws 32 and 34 have started moving to the closed position, it is impossible for them to move back to the open position until they have closed to the extent necessary to provide a full crimp to the seal body, due to the ratchet mechanism on the rod 60 previously described.

Hence it is impossible to impart only a partial crimp to the seal. Similarly, for the same reason, once the cycle has been started, it is impossible to retract the jaws or to apply the crimp to the seal, without the knife being activated to cut off the excess length of shackle.

Hence it is impossible to remove the seal and bag assembly from the press without the seal being fully crimped and the shackle cut off close to the seal body.

We claim:

1. A seal press for attaching a seal of the type having a seal body and a shackle for forming a tight loop about an article to be protected, said press comprising means for tightening said shackle around the article to be protected and through the seal body, means for deforming the seal body to maintain the shackle in the tightened condition, means for severing the shackle between the tightening means and the seal body, said severing means being actuated automatically at substantially the completion of the crimping of the seal body, and means for preventing release of the seal body deforming means until said shackle severing means has been actuated to sever said shackle.

2. A seal press for attaching seals of the type described comprising seal body deforming means and seal shackle cutting means for cutting off the free end of the shackle close to the seal body, said cutter being actuated automatically at the final portion of the motion of the deforming means, and locking means responsive to the start of the movement of the deforming means to prevent disengaging movement thereof and means operative only after the completion of the shackle cutting operation for releasing said locking means to allow retraction of the deforming means.

3. A seal press for attaching a seal of the type having a seal body and a shackle for fonning a tight loop about an article to be protected, said press comprising means for pulling the shackle through the seal body to tighten a shackle loop around an article to be protected, jaw means for deforming the seal body, an operating lever for opening and closing said jaws, cutter means between the tightening means and the jaw means, means operated at substantially the termination of the seal body deforming movement of the jaws by continued movement of the operating lever in the jaw closing direction to operate the cutter means to cut the shackle between the jaw means and the shackle tightening means and means preventing the retraction of said operating lever once it has been moved in the operating direction until the jaws have completed the desired deforming movement and the cutter means has been actuated.

4. A seal press for attaching a seal of the type described, comprising a pair of jaws to receive a seal body, an operating lever for closing said jaws a predetermined amount to provide a desired deformation of the seal body, means spaced from the jaws for grasping a free end of a shackle extending through the seal body and pulling it through the body and tightly around an article to be protected, shackle cutting means disposed between the shackle grasping means and the jaws, and comprising a die block having a horizontal slot receiving the shackle and a vertical slot receiving a cutting blade, and means for moving the cutting blade across the horizontal slot at substantially the completion of the closing movement of the jaws, said means being attached to and operated by said operating lever by continued movement of the operating lever in the jaw closing without releasing the seal from engagement by the aws. 

1. A seal press for attaching a seal of the type having a seal body and a shackle for forming a tight loop about an article to be protected, said press comprising means for tightening said shackle around the article to be protected and through the seal body, means for deforming the seal body to maintain the shackle in the tightened condition, means for severing the shackle between the tightening means and the seal body, said severing means being actuated automatically at substantially the completion of the crimping of the seal body, and means for preventing release of the seal body deforming means until said shackle severing means has been actuated to sever said shackle.
 2. A seal press for attaching seals of the type described comprising seal body deforming means and seal shackle cutting means for cutting off the free end of the shackle close to the seal body, said cutter being actuated automatically at the final portion of the motion of the deforming means, and locking means responsive to the start of the movement of the deforming means to prevent disengaging movement thereof and means operative only after the completion of the shackle cutting operation for releasing said locking means to allow retraction of the deforming means.
 3. A seal press for attaching a seal of the type having a seal body and a shackle for forming a tight loop about an article to be protected, said press comprising means for pulling the shackle through the seal body to tighten a shackle loop around an article to be protected, jaw means for deforming the seal body, an operating lever for opening and closing said jaws, cutter means between the tightening means and the jaw means, means operated at substantially the termination of the seal body deforming movement of the jaws by continued movement of the operating lever in the jaw closing direction to operate the cutter means to cut the shackle between the jaw means and the shackle tightening means and means preventing the retraction of said operating lever once it has been moved in the operating direction until the jaws have completed the desired deforming movement and the cutter means has been actuated.
 4. A seal press for aTtaching a seal of the type described, comprising a pair of jaws to receive a seal body, an operating lever for closing said jaws a predetermined amount to provide a desired deformation of the seal body, means spaced from the jaws for grasping a free end of a shackle extending through the seal body and pulling it through the body and tightly around an article to be protected, shackle cutting means disposed between the shackle grasping means and the jaws, and comprising a die block having a horizontal slot receiving the shackle and a vertical slot receiving a cutting blade, and means for moving the cutting blade across the horizontal slot at substantially the completion of the closing movement of the jaws, said means being attached to and operated by said operating lever by continued movement of the operating lever in the jaw closing without releasing the seal from engagement by the jaws. 